ABSTRACT
Ground Zero is where the World Trade Center (WTC) towers once stood; the “other” Ground Zero is where the remains of the towers’ occupants and visitors, at least those who were not immediately incinerated in the atrocity of September 11, rest until they are identified. The attacks at the WTC on September 11, 2001 claimed 2,823 lives. The bustle of Death Alley every now and then would suddenly stop and an eerie silence would blanket 30th Street. Quietly, solemnly, everyone on the street would form two columns, one on either side. They stood at respectful attention as an ambulance-hearse slowly backed down the street. The commanding officer would signal a salute, the ambulance door would open, and a stretcher would be slowly and reverently slid out. Members of the Chief Medical Examiner staff were always available to assist in providing technical answers to families’ questions about the procedures involved in identifying their loved ones.
